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side - sim: Not My Area of Expertise (Tag Ch'Thaanaq)

Posted Nov. 23, 2022, 9:28 a.m. by Lieutenant Siarram Ch'Thaanaq (Chief Engineer) (Lucas Foxley)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Brenna Neenna Atoded (Chief of Security) in side - sim: Not My Area of Expertise (Tag Ch’Thaanaq)

Posted by Lieutenant Siarram Ch’Thaanaq (Chief Engineer) in side - sim: Not My Area of Expertise (Tag Ch’Thaanaq)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Brenna Neenna Atoded (Chief of Security) in side - sim: Not My Area of Expertise (Tag Ch’Thaanaq)
Posted by… suppressed (32) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Brenna stood in the shuttle bay glaring at the Garmr, her shuttle. The thrusters would not respond to the controls. She’d been over the interior, following the lines and controls and connections all the way to the exterior of the shuttle to make sure everything was connected securely. Looking for burned out or missing parts. It was frustrating. Brenna was not an engineer, and it was beyond her, but over the years she’d had to pick up a little bit of skill in order to save her own hide. She went inside to the pilot’s seat and tried again. Still the engines started but the thrusters would still not respond to the controls. Frustrated she powered down the shuttle and stomped out pressing the control to the close the hatch.

Fenris, Fekri, and Geri got up and trotted behind her as she left the bay. Perhaps the chief engineer, Siarram would know someone who could come look at it for her. Not just anyone. She didn’t need anyone delving into the secrets her shuttle held, but she needed it working. A few minutes later she excited the turbolift near main engineering and started walking looking for the chief engineer. She stopped an ops officer, “Do you know where Lieutenant Ch’Thaanaq is?” The woman nodded and pointed the way.

Atoded, CoS

Just through the doors, one of the engineers wearing the pips of a Lieutenant Junior Grade and the spots of a Trill was looking over a PaDD with a diagram of schematics and power fluctuations as Atoded walked in. Looking up, he raised an eyebrow ever so slightly looking at the dogs, and then back to the CoS. “Looking for someone, Commander?” He asked her without moving.

Lt J.G Than Osedi, Eng

Brenna paused on her way towards where the other woman had pointed out the CE’s office. She ran through the list of engineering jr Lts and those that were Trill. This was either Osedi or Runin. “I’m looking for Lt. Ch’Thaanaq. Do you know where he is?” The dogs all padded silently behind her and sat as she paused, sitting in a close group, out of the way, and very still while they waited. “I’m in need of his expertise.”

Atoded, CoS

“Of course Commander,” Than smiled and turned towards the Chief Engineers Office. “At present I believe he is in the office, which is handy, this time of day he’s usually hip deep in a junction box somewhere.” Raising one hand that revealed the spots that ran down the side of his head continued to the back of his hands, he indicated the Office.

“He’s alone at present as well, so he’s all yours Sir.” Nodding to the Security Chief, Than looked back at his PaDD and began marking off calculations.

Lt J.G Than Osedi, Eng

“Thank you, Lt.” Atoded gave a nod and looked at her boys, “We’ll stay out of the way.” She continued on, the dogs standing silently and following as she made her way over to the CE’s office and pressed the chime.

Atoded, CoS

Siarram would rather be hip deep in a junction box. But instead he had to do actual department head stuff and that meant paperwork. When Atoded rang the chime, he called, “Enter!”

The CE’s office was quite plain. There were two chairs on the other side of Ch’thaanaq’s desk, a shelf organizing several toolsets, and a bookcase… And that was it. When Atoted came in, Siarram gestured to a chair without looking up. “What do you need?”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna raised a brow but slid into a seat, the dogs filing in behind her and sitting against the far wall out of the way. She knew the headache of paperwork. No one was prepared for HOW MUCH there was when you became department head. It was ridiculous. You spent more time on that than keeping your skill sharp. It was frustrating. “There is something wrong with my shuttle and I was hoping you might have a recommendation of someone who could take a look. But my requirements are very specific.”

Atoded, CoS

Siarram looked up then, brow raised, “Very specific? What kind of shuttle? What’s the problem with it?” It was undeniable he was at least slightly interested.... well, maybe more than slightly. But no matter who he recommended he needed more information than “my shuttle” and “Specific” to decide who to recommend. Engineers had specialties, things they were better at, or just personal preferences on what they liked to work on.

~ Lt Ch’Thaanaq, CE

Brenna listened as he rattled off the questions and then answered. “Well by specific, I mean someone who isn’t going to go delving into the secure and encrypted files in there or into the small cargo space that’s locked. Garmr is a type 6 shuttle. I was running a basic pre-flight check and the engines start no problem, but the thrusters would not respond to the controls. I checked the basic stuff, but I’m not an engineer and can’t figure out what’s wrong with it.”

Atoded, CoS

He nodded as Brenna answered. “That is a common problem with those shuttles.” He frowned and sighed. “It’s an easy enough fix but considering your… privacy concerns, I will have to do it myself. How urgent is it?” Siarram asked, trying to judge what and how many things he’d need to put off or hand off.

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna nodded, “It is, and I’ve tried all the common fixes with no luck.” She sighed, for her on a personal level it was very urgent. Brenna didn’t like having a way out that was under her discretion, but the likelihood of something going wrong like that was slim, and she wasn’t going to abandon the crew either. “I’m not going anywhere any time soon, so not terribly urgent. I just don’t like to leave things to fester which is why I wanted to come ask, put the request in. I know your department stays busy.”

Atoded, CoS

Siarram looked at his PaDD for a moment and then back to Brenna, “I can have a look this afternoon, if that works? At about 1400. One of my other officers can handle the repair I have scheduled for then.” Keeping a schedule that stayed… relatively accurate helped keep things organized and get done in a timely manner.

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna nodded, “1400 works just fine. I will meet you there. Thank you, I really appreciate your help.” Brenna stood and with a gentle mental call the dogs stood and followed her out.

At 1400 she was in the shuttle bay, the dogs no where to be seen, and placed her palm to the security panel and the hatch opened. She left the systems powered down for a moment. She was there to find out what was wrong and how to fix it incase she was ever alone, and to give Siarram the maintenance security codes.

Atoded, CoS

At 1400 Siarram made his way down to the shuttle bay, just about a minute or two late, with a toolbox. He stopped next to the shuttle, set the toolbox down, and said, “Alright, let’s hope this is a quick fix.”

~ Lt Ch’Thaanaq, CE

Brenna stepped out of the shuttle when she heard Siarram’s voice. She nodded in agreement, “I certainly hope so. What do you need me to do?” The shuttle was powered on but the engines and thrusters we’re off.

Atoded, CoS

“Show me what you do when the problem occurs and let me see what exactly is happening.” A non-engineer trying to describe a mechanical problem to an engineer always took all day. It was easier to just see for himself what was wrong. “Re-create the problem as best you can.”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna nodded and slipped into the pilots seat. Her movements were sparse and light. The shuttles main power came on and panels around the interior lit up. She cycled through the typical pre-flight diagnostics and then went to test fire the thrusters and....nothing. “That’s it. I get that far and the thrusters just won’t respond.”

Atoded, CoS

“Mm-hmm.” Siarram said, deep in thought, as she explained and showed him what it did. “Might be an issue with the computer. It could just not be telling the thrusters to start, basically. That’s what I’m thinking considering they don’t even try to start. Otherwise…” Siarram made a face, “It could be a lot harder to fix. You’d need parts.”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna sighed, “Well I have enough credits to cover the parts. The problem then is can the machine shop on board make them or will I have to requisition or Sal age them.” The issue of where to get replacement parts, if necessary, was something Brenna had been aware of when she purchased this style shuttle. It met her needs and was a hardy design so it had been worth it.

“I won’t know that till I know what exactly the problem is. There’s a laundry list of failures that could cause this.” Siarram replied. He would help her if he could, he knew of several good places to get parts from if it could not be made on board.

She stood from the chair and sat in the floor and laid back under the console and pulled the panel off. “Main computer core.” And she slid over to get out of Siarram’s way.

Atoded, CoS

Siarram laid back under the console and began looking at the main computer core. He looked for anything that could cause this, from frayed wiring to computer core failures which resulted in a failure to tell the thrusters to start.

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna understood it could take awhile. She had told Siarram that she had run all the basic diagnostic checks and looked over the physical parts of the shuttle. She understood that he would repeat all of those himself as well. Brenna had enough knowledge to maintain the shuttle, but not enough to actually repair it if something went wrong. Unless it was something the computer could diagnoses and the part was ‘plug and play’. The computer didn’t show any signs of wear or damage. The wiring was all in good repair. The shuttle was old, but Brenna obviously took the time to make sure it was well maintained, even if she did have to have someone else do the work. The next option would be to scan each and every isolinear chip for damage or have someone check the coding for programs that controlled the engines.

Brenna sat on the floor of the shuttle, out of the way, with a PaDD keeping herself busy and quiet. She was more than willing to help, she just wasn’t skilled enough to guess what he might want her to do ahead of time.

Atoded, CoS

Siarram remained underneath the console for quite some time. Finally he emerged from underneath, “The pod is well maintained. I see no damage to anything visible, no frayed wirings, nothing loose or missing…” He sighed and then frowned and reached for the comm on his shirt. “I’m going to need to scan each and every isolinear chip for damage. I’m going to need help.”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna shook her head. “Can’t. Like I said you have the necessary clearance levels, but I can’t have just some random, unvetted ensign in here messing around on my computer.” Brenna looked very apologetic and sighed. “I’m not trying to be difficult. I guess give me a few hours to wipe the computer clean.” By the four gods that was going to make things complicated. Siarram would have seen the separate computer cores and the physical security around them, which only hinted at the digital security in place inside the cores. She wasn’t kidding when she said she had very specific needs as to who worked on her shuttle.

Atoded, CoS

Siarram sighed a long, exasperated sigh. Doing this much work alone would take way too long. “I know, I know, it’s fine…” That was frustrating. Wiping the computer must take forever. He’d seen the physical security. He was decent with computers, and he didn’t want to imagine the digital security. “Don’t go trying to wipe it. But you come here and help.” There was a slight edge to his voice. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes, and then looked at her again, “I’m going to need your help scanning the chips.” Then he told her what he needed her to do.

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

“No problem.” Brenna set the PaDD down on the bench near where she had been sitting and moved over to where he was. “Just tell me what to do.” Brenna took the scanner Siarram handed her one by one started removing, scanning, and reinserting each isolinear chip. It was a long process, but at least it wasn’t the Saracen‘s computer core. It was much smaller.

After about an hour of working in silence, other than the work, Brenna looked over at him and said, “Hey Siarram, What do you call it when the Borg assimilate a Human, a Romulan, a Klingon, and a Ferengi?”

“The Federation?” Siarram asked, accidentally grouping the Ferengi with the others.

With a huge grin she said, “A smorgasborg.” She chuckled slightly. It was a baaaad joke, and only worked if you knew the Terran term smorgasbord, but it was corny.

Atoded, CoS

Siarram paused what he was doing, looked at her, and said in the most serious tone, “And what in all this galaxy and the next, is a smorgasborg?”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna grinned as she worked, stretched out on the floor of the shuttle working away at the chips. “A smorgasborg is a play on the Terran word smorgasbord” she emohasized the change in the sound. “It is a buffet offering a variety of hot and cold meats, salads, hors d’oeuvres, etc.” She slid the next chip back into place, withdrawing the next.

Atoded, CoS

Siarram gave her a look with a hint of humor to it. “That’s dark.” Then he handed her another chip. “Next one.” The project was going to be long and boring and Siarram could see why she resorted to cheesy jokes.

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna laughed. It was a light delighted sound and genuine. Brenna didn’t have occasion to laugh much in her work so she enjoyed the moments she did have. “Too dark? I guess I have to blame my mentor for that. She fought against the Borg back in the day. The stories…” her gaze turned far away as she took the next chip and began to scan it. What ever she was remembering caused the hair on her arms to stand on end and she shuddered as a cold chill swept her.

Siarram had never seen the Borg nor did he ever want to. He’d heard stories. There was a silence for a moment as they both contemplated that.

Coming out of her reverie she replaced the chip and held out her hand for the next one. “Okay, so if that one is too dark, how about this? What musical band do is hated by Ferengi?”

”…I have no idea.” Siarram handed her the next chip and looked at her as she looked at him.

She turned her head to look at him to see if he would take a guess.

“The Lost Profits.”

Atoded, CoS

That one earned a little grin from Siarram as he shook his head and removed the next chip. “What an awful way to live, to be so obsessed with money.”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna had to agree, she also thought Siarram looked different when he grinned like that. “To obsess over accumulation, but nothing to show for it. It isn’t like they use it for the benefit of others, but their own gratification. Of course, we probably seem to have awful lives to them.” She slid the chip into place. “Two more to go.”

Siarram scanned it. “Two more? I haven’t seen any issues with then yet.”

They worked quietly on the last two chips. She slid the last back into place and slid out from under the console. She had slept on the floor of this shuttle many times, but she would never call it comfortable. “Okay, Siarram, how many Holodeck characters does it take to change a light bulb?”

“How many?” There was not much else to do than humor Brenna and her ridiculous jokes. Might as well let her make them.

“None. Holodeck characters are light bulbs,” and Brenna laughed softly. It was a bad joke, they all were, but life needed laughter. Even absurd laughter.

Atoded, CoS

Siarram gave her another look, not understanding the joke. “The holodeck characters are the lightbulbs?” He asked.

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

Brenna grinned and shook her head. She would have to stop with the jokes. “Light bulbs harness energy to create light. Holodeck characters are the result of harnessed energy and light. It’s a very rudimentary understanding of what happens on the holodeck.” She waved at the shuttle controls. “Now what? We’ve been at it for hours. I don’t want to keep you from your regular duties.”

Atoded, CoS

Siarram raised an eyebrow. Apparently, that joke confused him. “Well, the problem isn’t the chips, they’ve all scanned with no problems.” He sighed and was quiet a moment while he thought. “Let’s scan the computer relays. It’ll tell me if commands are reaching their destinations properly.” Then he shook his head and offered a little smile. “I have time. My engineers are handling the boring, everyday repairs for the ship. Half the time I don’t know how this old tin can still flies, seems like something is always going out.”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE

“Alright so…” she pointed a finger at the access panels and then around the shuttle. “Relays…relays…” after a moment she was back on the floor, under the consoles pulling off more panels and then stood removing more from the walls and ceiling. “I think that’s all of them.” Then she moved out of the way. “It still flies because your department is the best at what they do and they have a great department head too. Alright tell me how I can help.”

Atoded

“Go to the computer and tell the thrusters to start when I say. I’ll be scanning the relays, seeing if the command goes through or gets dropped somewhere.” Siarram readied his scanner and then looked at her, “Okay, now.”

~ Lt Ch’thaanaq, CE


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